Quick Description: One of our new "Civil War Trail" markers. This one is in downtown Philadelphia, Tennessee. The actual battlefield is about a mile away. I will upload a picture of the battlefield as well as coordinates.

Long Description:During the autumn of 1863, Union Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's forces occupied Knoxville and much of the surrounding countryside. Philadelphia, a station on the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, was the southernmost Union-held town. Col. Frank Wolford's brigade, which included the 1st, 11th, and 12th Kentucky Cavalry Regiments, the 45th Mounted Infantry, and six mountain howitzers, occupied Philadelphia and protected the railroad.

On October 20, 1863, two Confederate cavalry brigades approached Philadelphia. Col. George Dibrell and his troops came from the south, and Col. John J. Morrison's brigade moved in from the west. Dibrell's brigade was to distract the Federals while Morrison's brigade attacked from the north. Unaware of the Confederate movements, however, Wolford had sent wagons westward for supplies. Morrison's men captured the wagons, sent them south and continued his advance. Wolford knew a fight was on when he heard firing to the west during the attackon the wagon train. He dispatched almost half his troops to recover the wagons.

Morrison's assault on the Union position, which according to local tradition was on Federal Hill in front of you, met with success. Wolford fought in two directions until informed that his mountain howitzers were almost out of ammunition, then ordered a retreat after the last round was fired. Wolford's men fled to Loudon, leaving behind the valuable guns. The Battle of Philadelphia marked the first defeat of the Union forces during the occupation of East Tennessee.

Type of site: BattlefieldAddress: 406 Church StPhiladelphia, tn 37846Admission Charged: No ChargeWebsite: [Web Link]Driving Directions: Traveling on US Hwy 11 (W Lee Hwy) turn onto Christian St. After crossing the railroad tracks turn left onto Church St. The sign is on your right at the First Baptist Church.

The coords for the battlefield are
N35 40.793
W084 23.153Phone Number: Not listed

Visit Instructions:Post at least one photo of a Civil War related item or scene and post one Civil War Discovery you learned while visiting the waymark. The photo should have the coordinates of where it was taken if significantly different from the waymark's coordinates.